Grave Pact vs Dictate of Erebos
Economics forum
Posted on May 14, 2014, 4:01 p.m. by Hickorysbane
They are funtionally the same card...and it's not even like the Dictate is a strictly worse reprint, in fact in some ways it's better (such as being easier to cast in a Jund/any other multi-color deck or having flash). So why the difference in price? I'm assuming it's because the Dictate is standard but that's still a big difference. And it even looks like the Dictate has gone down domewhat in price, if it's a functional reprint of a $10.00+ card why is it doing that? Can we expect it to shoot up as soon as it stops being printed and is more difficult to get?
availablity most likely. Gravepact has been out of print for a while, last core set it was in was 10th edition, after that it was in supplemental products, with limited runs. Currently the only people interested in dictate are edh players and fringe standard players, not enough to drum up the price. Gravepact has the same audience in EDH, but is more well known and used.
May 14, 2014 4:27 p.m.
dictate's 1 mana difference is made for with the 'flash', currently the only deck that I run gravepact in, now runs this dictate in addition.
May 14, 2014 4:28 p.m.
Hickorysbane says... #7
So what I'm seeing is that Grave Pact is older, thus less available, and CAN be cast quicker...but I've personally pretty much disregarded that because of the BBB in the casting cost (I'm running it in a Jund deck so there's practically no chance of it being a T4 play). But also that Grave Pact is tried and true? in that case I'd think that's yes to Dictate of Erebos going up (but possible not nearly as high as Grave Pact ) so I'm gonna go ahead and plan on that happening. Thanks for all the quick responses!
May 14, 2014 4:53 p.m.
Dictate has its uses (being easier to cast and having Flash, which can catch an opponent off guard), but I think Grave Pact is still the better card.
But for EDH, why not both? Make each opponent sacrifice two creatures for your every one.
May 14, 2014 6:41 p.m.
Hickorysbane says... #9
That's exactly what I plan on doing (and hopefully three with Butcher of Malakir ), I was just thrown off by the price difference of such similiar cards
May 14, 2014 7:31 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #10
CMC is the key to all cards being successful. The dictate matches standard perfectly, and I can not wait to get one for EDH. 4 vs 5 is the big deal. With all the available mana fixing in eternal formats, BBB is not that bad. Especially when you think of Dark Ritual , Cabal Ritual ect...
May 14, 2014 8:05 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #11
You can now have almost have a Grave Pact play set in EDH + Kuon's Essence and Sheoldred, Whispering One r things. :)
May 14, 2014 10:17 p.m.
blackoutwolf says... #13
Also, it's noteworthy to realize that with Grave Pact , in order for other players to sac creatures is if one of yours gets put into the graveyard from play, which excludes token creatures. For Dictate of Erebos , it only says if one of your creatures dies, which includes token creatures.
So because of that, wouldn't you say Dictate of Erebos is the better card? As long as your running a token deck, that is.
May 30, 2014 10:37 a.m.
blackoutwolf - Tokens actually DO go to the graveyard when they die, they just immediately annihilate due to game rules. So Grave Pact will trigger off of tokens, they are basically the same card, except one costs 1 more mana and has flash.
May 30, 2014 10:41 a.m.
Didgeridooda says... #16
I believe they go to the graveyard, and when state-based effects check they go away. So they do hit, but all they do would be to trigger some sort of "when a creature dies/hits the graveyard" effect. State-based effects can not be responded to.
May 30, 2014 10:57 a.m.
"Dies" means "put into a graveyard from the battlefield." They made this change in M12. Grave Pact and Dictate of Erebos do the exact same thing. They even have the same Oracle text.
Matsi883 says... #2
Grave Pact has been proven. Dictate of Erebos hasn't.
I think the CMC matters. While I count them as the same cost, one can be cast on T2 with rocks, and that's the $10 one.
May 14, 2014 4:12 p.m.